Category Archives: Uncategorized

I have found the perfect church, at last.  It’s pictured here on the right, and is the very kind of church for which I have longed.  Wouldn’t you just love to be part of it?  Well, look closely.  It’s a Lego church.  Unless you’re a Lego, there is no perfect church.  There are only churchesContinueContinue reading “Finding the perfect church!”

Driving to an early morning meeting at 6am today, I recalled one my favorite prayers and begin praying it over my family and over the leaders of our church."For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of hisContinueContinue reading “A Prayer that works for family and church alike”

Pictured here is Rich Nathan, the senior pastor the Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio.  This week most of our staff and several interns have been at the national pastors conference being held at the Columbus, OH, Vineyard. What a place this is.  It is a congregation of about 7,000, and the building is fantastic. JustContinueContinue reading “National Vineyard Church pastors conference”

My Friday April 29 religion column for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, Champaign, Ill., is titled:  "Dad taught lesson of respecting all women."Indeed, my dad taught me valuable lessons about honoring women.  On more than one occasion I heard my dad apologize to my mother in front of all five children.  The women who worked for himContinueContinue reading “Dad taught me a lot about respecting women”

The battle in the mind never stops.  How often do you get a medal at the end of the day for having had a pure-minded day?  Not often?  Me neither.Everyday — usually many, many times a day — we have to decide whom we are going to serve."Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,ContinueContinue reading “The battle in the mind never stops”

It regularly occurs to me that my prayers rise above earth’s lamentations.  Here’s a list of prayer requests submitted to Irish monks for prayer on a site linked to Sacred Space, a wonderful online prayer site I visit almost every day.  Click on requests (above) and scroll down the page.  Merely scroll through the hugeContinueContinue reading “Our prayers rise above earth’s lamentations”

Here’s to showing respect to other men.  However else you define being a real man, if you lord it over other men, perhaps even causing them to cower in fear because you’re such a MAN, you are are no man.  Only those men who are deeply insecure and fearful cause other men to fear them.Here’sContinueContinue reading “Men must show respect to other men”

      In a recent post I mentioned that we must have a high view of Scripture.  In fact, every generation has the awesome and fearful task of accurately dividing the Word of Truth.  Here’s Bill Jackson’s (former pastor here at the Vineyard in Champaign-Urbana) clear and concise thought about Scripture interpretation:Bible readers have usedContinueContinue reading “A clear definition of how to think about Scripture interpretation”